Camila Mendes Opens Up About Being Sexually Assaulted At University

Camila Mendes is one of the biggest breakout stars from Netflix's teen drama Riverdale, starring on magazine covers and attending red carpet events with her boyfriend, co-star Charles Melton. However, the 25-year-old is open about the struggles she has faced in her past, revealing her obsession with dieting last year, before revealing she was sexually assaulted at university - an experience which prompted her to get a tattoo as a reminder of what's important to her.

Speaking to Women's Health, the actress said she "had a very, very bad experience" during her first year at New York University's Tisch School. "I was roofied by someone who sexually assaulted me," she said, before going on to say that she got the words 'To build a home' (the name of a song by The Cinematic Orchestra)tattooed on her ribs as a reminder that everything she does is to give herself a safe space.

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"Whenever I feel like I'm going through something difficult, I think about what I can do physically for myself," she said.

Mendes, who revealed her struggles with disordered eating and an obsession with dieting in an emotional post on Instagram last year, also spoke in further detail about bulimia, saying that she has only recently recovered.

"I've only recently gotten better," she said, noting that she went to both a therapist and nutritionist. "I needed professionals I trusted to tell me things that I didn't know."

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When did being thin become more important than being healthy? I recently went to a naturopath for the first time in my life. I told her about my anxiety around food and my obsession with dieting. She phrased a pivotal question in such a way that struck a chord with me: what other things could you be thinking about if you didn't spend all your time thinking about your diet? I suddenly remembered all the activities I love that used to occupy my time. At some point in my life, I allowed my obsession with being thin to consume me, and I refused to make room in my mind for any other concerns. Somehow I had stripped myself of all the pastimes that brought me joy, and all that was left of me was my anxiety around food. My passion for education, cinema, music, etc. - all the interests that used to occupy my mind - had been eaten away by my desire to be thin, and it made me miserable. I'm done believing in the idea that there's a thinner, happier version of me on the other side of all the tireless effort. Your body type is subject to genetics, and while eating nutrient-dense foods and exercising regularly will make you healthier, it will not necessarily make you thinner, and the current system fails to make that distinction. I'm sick of the toxic narrative that the media consistently feeds us: that being thin is the ideal body type. A healthy body is the ideal body type, and that will look different for every person. I'm #donewithdieting - join me in this movement and share your story!

Back in February 2018, Mendes wrote on Instagram, "When did being thin become more important than being healthy? I recently went to a naturopath for the first time in my life. I told her about my anxiety around food and my obsession with dieting. She phrased a pivotal question in such a way that struck a chord with me: what other things could you be thinking about if you didn't spend all your time thinking about your diet?"

"I suddenly remembered all the activities I love that used to occupy my time," she continued. "At some point in my life, I allowed my obsession with being thin to consume me, and I refused to make room in my mind for any other concerns."

"Somehow I had stripped myself of all the pastimes that brought me joy, and all that was left of me was my anxiety around food. My passion for education, cinema, music, etc. — all the interests that used to occupy my mind — had been eaten away by my desire to be thin, and it made me miserable."

Isabelle Truman

Isabelle Truman is a freelance writer based out of London, UK. She specialises in fashion, lifestyle and travel and knows a thing or two (read: everything) about both Meghan Markle and 'Sex and the City'.